Heroes of the Pacific

Although World War II may be the most popular video game setting since the omnipresent lava world, usually we only see combat from the ground. Heroes of the Pacific focuses on the aerial component of that war, and pull if off with such finesse that it earns a mark next to such great WWII labels as the Brothers in Arms and Call of Duty franchises.

Although Heroes is far from the first WWII fight sim, it soars high score above the other games thanks to its incredible attention to detail. The shifting, multilayered clouds are truly a sight to behold, and the water below is equally impressive. Of course, what is more stunning is the sight of a hundred Japanese planes barreling down on you.

Of course, looks aren’t anything without substance (just look at Paris Hilton), and fortunately Heroes delivers on this front as well. Controlling the various planes is completely intuitive and each one has its own unique handling. The different missions are also expertly paced – dogfights are broken up with bombing runs and a huge variety of other tasks, so you never feel like you’re simply shooting everything that flies. There are even a nice variety of multiplayer games modes and bonus missions included.